The European Union ambassador says Lula's election facilitated dialogue and an agreement with Mercosur could be announced in July.
"We have the ambition that, in July, when the EU-CELAC summit takes place, we can announce that the agreement is finalized," said Ambassador Ignacio Ybáñez.
247 - The European Union (EU) ambassador to Brazil, Spaniard Ignacio Ybáñez, stated that the trade agreement between the bloc and the Mercosur countries, which has been under discussion for 20 years, could be announced in July, when the EU-CELAC (Community of Latin American and Caribbean States) summit will be held.
The deadline given by the diplomat coincides with the move by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's (PT) government to have the agreement finalized by the end of the first half of the year.
“An agreement has always been necessary, and in the current international situation, with Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and the conviction that we must seek reliable partners, this is the right time to move forward,” Ybáñez told the newspaper. Folha de S. Paul.
“The arrival of Lula, who, even as president-elect, attended COP27, signaled that the concerns we had could be set aside. This encourages us. We have already presented the central elements of this additional instrument, which is being discussed, to Mercosur. We have the ambition that, in July, when the EU-CELAC summit takes place, we can announce that the agreement is finalized,” the diplomat emphasized.